First In Months, Shanghai Zero Local Cases Of COVID-19

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - China's capital, Beijing, as well as the financial center city of Shanghai, on Tuesday reported zero new cases of local COVID-19 infection.

The day without new cases was the first recorded after the two Chinese cities grappled for months with their worst outbreak ever.

Reported by Antara, Tuesday, June 28, the achievement was reported on Monday (27/6) after daily cases in the two cities fell to single digits over the past week.

With this development, Shanghai is gradually allowing people to eat in restaurants. Beijing could also reopen some recreational areas, including the Universal Beijing Resort.

The head of the Communist Party of Shanghai Li Qiang on Saturday (25/6) said the authorities had "won the war to protect Shanghai" from COVID-19.

Shanghai previously imposed a total city-wide lockdown. The total lockdown was then finally lifted in early June.

However, authorities in these cities remain vigilant. They insisted that the government's move, known as the COVID-19 zero dynamic policy, remained in effect. The policy was implemented with the aim of preventing the spread of the epidemic.

Beijing City Communist Party chief Cai Qi was quoted as saying by the Beiijng Dailiy daily, as saying Beijing would "fight new epidemics early and quickly and decisively cut off the channels of their spread".

Beijing will build a "solid defense against the virus," Cai said, as quoted on Monday.

Despite Beijing and Shanghai easing some restrictions on COVID-19, a combined 47 million residents of the two cities have been asked to get tested every few days.

The regulation is enforced so that access to places and public transportation is maintained.

Elsewhere in mainland China, there were a total of 22 local infections of COVID-19 reported as of June 27, including five cases in the southern city of the technology hub, Shenzhen.